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TRD Widebody Kit Install Guide

43K views 57 replies 34 participants last post by  2kute4u 
#1 · (Edited)
Let me start out by saying that I?m no means claiming to be an expert on this. I have done two MR2 Wide Body Kits each time there is a new challenge.

Use what I have provided here as a guide, a lot of it is trail and error and how lucky you get with the kit fitment. There may be a better way to do it, but this is what has worked for me. Be easy on me if I said something wrong it has been over a year since I have last done the last install.

Lesson Number One: It will take more time than you think. After awhile I just stopped counting.

You will have 13 pieces to deal with; so recruiting a friend is very helpful.

Ok Let?s Start


Rear Quarters
Personally I would start at the rear of the car, just because this tends to be the hardest part. You have to make the choice now if you want to cut out your fenders and keep the stock gas cap. If you do not cut the fenders then you will have to roll them. This is the easiest route, but limits the size of rims you can run.

You need to test fit the upper rear quarter panels first. Start with the left side with the gas cap. Line up the rear edge of the quarter panel with the trunk seam and screw one corner in place, check to see that the gas cap hole is where it should be and then work your way forward temporally running screws in until you are sure of the fitment.

When you are sure about the fitment, use Panel adhesive on the quarters and screw them in place. For the glue check local auto paint stores for something by 3M, SEM or some larger brand name. Do not glue anything down until the whole kit has been mocked up. If you need to tweak something is easier to do with the panels just screwed in. Note: You must also scuff sand anywhere you intend to glue with 80-180 grit sand paper.

On both of my cars I did not use the stock gas cap location. One I used a motorcycle cap and the other was a NA so I relocated the filler cap inside the engine bay, by sectioning the gas filler tube and making a bracket that attached to the stock breather location. The best example of a factory gas cap location can bee seen on Chicorace works web site

Chicoraceworks Wide Body

You will have to fabricate a mounting system similar to this for the gas filler door to function like normal.

The lower ? Panels and rocker panels

Once the top rear ? panel sections are set. The lower ? panels can be drilled and bolted to the upper sections. Above the engine scoops you can bolt the top and bottom parts of the kit together. This joint should be fiber glassed over before you start adding body filler.


Do the same for the rocker panel. Attach the front of the lower rocker panel to the bottom of the front fenders with two bolts. This is on the inside of the fender and will not be seen. The outside gap between the upper and lower fender should be fiber glassed together, as you did with the rear section. The lower rocker panel section (the part directly under the door) should be attached with pop rivets and panel adhesive to the lower door section. The rocker panels will need to be trimmed to fit in the lower door area with a cutoff wheel. You will have to trim a lot of the kit off to make the door jambs fit correctly and then fiberglass them in. Make sure that you trim enough off the lower portion (under the doors) that after you add filler the doors will close properly and not slowly scuff your paint off.

Problem spots:

Fitment the rear quarters took me and one other guy quite a while to wrestle into place. This is where it helps to have an extra set of hands with a screw gun ready. Once the kit is fit up you can loosen the screws and apply panel adhesive in-between the body and kit. Then simply screw the kit back down until it dries.
 
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#31 ·
tilma800 said:
Cool write up.

What TRD look alike replica kits are there? And which one has the highest quality of fitment, materials, durability, etc...
Neos Designs in England are offering their own tweaked TRD kit - which bolts up to all the factory mounting points.

The kit was taken from a copy - and then re-worked. It's been 1 year in development - and the quality is stunning. This is where my kit is being purchased from - they are also fitting it.

I'm so impressed, I'm sending my other MR2 to them to get this kit fitted. It's the lightest kit available as well, as it'll need almost no filler - because the fit is that good.

And before anyone says anything, I'm not getting a penny for this - I'm purely pointing out what I think is the best TRD kit available.

I can post some pictures up after Christmas...
 
#38 ·
I dont know how many poeple on here are autobody techs, but I have a question about using screws...or rivets to hold the kit on. If you use that method how do you keep the car from rusting' I mean right as soon as there is bare metal exposed its gona start rusting out, then its just a matter of time till all your hard work goes down the drain. Is there any way to prevent this?
 
#45 ·
Hi,

I am currently halfway through a wide body install in Perth, Australia - first time kit fitment and passing the challenges as they occur would really appreciate some pics/further assistance with the existing quarter cut-out/grind methodology. If anyone has any pictures I would be very grateful.

I think I get the fact that I must grind out a bit of arch to allow me to fold the existing arch sill outwards to meet with the lip of the new fibreglass rear quarter so as not to leave a crud trap, and also to allow the full purpose of the wide body kit to be realised, that is to install 9j+ rims/275mm tyres to a flush fitment at the outer of the guards.

I also have found that the rear part of the side skirt which meets the underside of the rear quarter (I think they may be called lower rocker panels earlier in this build thread..?!) will not fit into a flush joint with the rest of the car/rear quarter without a cutting wheel groove, or notch, cut longitudinally to allow the skirt to slide onto the car, flush beneath the rear quarter - I appreciate this is or could be a bad description , as text does not always fully articulate what is being discussed without pictures - I will post up some pictures of my build thus far later today - for now, if someone could offer me advice as to how to cut/grind the existing metal rear quarter panels I would be most grateful

Thanks
Daz
 
#48 ·
Hi.
Thanks for the input:

LOS ALMIGHTY said:
I didn't grind mine down, what I did was cut to slits on the end and as soon as I did that I was able to bend the metal flap up.
Were there any structural issues with cutting upwards into the sheet metal, ie.e continued ripping of the slits with bumps etc??
Your solution sounds like the simplest I have come across so far; a fellow Australian TRD conversion has undertaken the same approach,and MIG welded small plates in behind his slits to resist further sheet metal tear... Obviously his textual description and yours may be very different in practice, however I must ask the question whether this factor was considered in your build or was it felt unnecessary?

Cheers
Daz
 
#51 ·
I decided to post a link to my Australian Forum build thread to save recreating the entire post here..

http://mrtwo.mine.nu/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=19578


I think you guys can read the thread easily enough i.e. access-wise, or even log in if you register.. Last few weeks i have felt I've really gathered momentum, getting the front bumper/guards together and a side skirt on the car. My thread story tells the tale pretty honestly, as I'd never attempted this kind of thing before - a steep learning curve, but after a few weeks of messing about and not knowing what/how/where to start, (and LOTS of Forum scouring!), am finally starting to feel like it's working!!

Hopefully this weekend will see the rest of the TRD panels on and then i can start thinking about permanently fixing the already fitted panels to the car and start fibreglassing/body filler work;

I've had custom Gen 3 lights made up with black detailing, a black Gen 3 rear centre panel, smoked black light fittings all arrived, ordering some black CE28N 18 x 9 abd 18 x 8 rims, (also black with trademark RAYS red trim line), full interior is re-trimmed (including dash, glove box, A-pillars, centre console, seats, door cards, door card inners, sun visors - basically everything except the carpet (!)) in black leather with red double stitch - I'm looking at a deep dark red exterior paint colour, and with the all-black inside, black lights/indicators/repeaters, black rims, black rear centre panel, black rear muffler protector guard (and some TRD fittings from ebay - also black leather with red stitch).. So hopefully it will all be really subtle, and sleek, and well powered whern the turbo V6 goes in next year!!

I've been on the build now approx 8 weeks, but things had slowed the last few weeks after knee reconstruction surgery - getting back to mobility now thogh hence the plans for this weekend!! Hope you like the build thread so far, and Ill check back and start posting up my pics and progress here too, as I'm really grateful for your (US) input and guidance :)

Enjoy

Cheers
Daz
 
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